dharafandomcom-20200216-history
Ability
Abilities are unique and arcane powers possessed by all sentient beings, said to emerge from an individual “self”’s “consciousness” (i.e. the sum of their thoughts, emotions, experiences, etc.). An individual may be aware of their Ability from childhood, or only awaken it near the end of their adolescence. No individual will fail to develop an Ability by their maturity outside of unusual circumstances, such as psychological trauma, although many will not reach the full developmental potential of their Ability. Rules of Abilities Abilities are all unique to each person; no two persons will ever have the same Ability under normal circumstances, nor will someone have more than one Ability. In rare cases, individuals with similar personalities or personal connections may develop similar abilities, but there will always be something slightly unique to each. The powers granted by an Ability are arcane, never as simple as merely generating fire or shocking a target. An Ability may manifest as energy emerging from its user, or as a metaphysical form that manifests or demanifests at the user’s will. Usually, because of manifesting from a user’s psyche, Abilities will manifest elaborate and abstract visual phenomena with their use. An Ability is rarely just a direct increase of the user’s power. Because of the esoteric and specialized powers an Ability may grant, an Ability may have its own rules and weaknesses. These are usually derived directly from the Abilities actual power: for example, an Ability to create lifeforms cannot be used in conditions completely inhospitable to life. Physical conflicts between individuals thus become a test of strategy and intuition, finding weaknesses in an opponent’s plan and taking advantage of them with one’s one powers. Developmental Potential Just as an individuals personality may change as time goes on, Abilities are also subject to change. An Ability can be “Developed,” meaning its user gains a greater understanding of their Ability and it’s potential uses, and adjusts the way they use their Ability to suit their particular needs. Development of an Ability is usually categorized into two forms: Generalization and Specialization. Generalization entails increasing the overall utility of the Ability, while Specialization is the focusing of a specific usage of the Ability over other possible utilities. Specialization of an Ability increases its power, but only in specific instances and scenarios. In contrast, Generalization of an Ability usually results in a weaker ability but one that can be more easily applied in more cases. Development may occur unintentionally over time, or on purpose to specifically alter the potential of the Ability. The specific way an Ability is Developed is usually an extension of the rules and properties originally belonging to the Ability. For example, an Ability that allows one to create strands of protective tape can be Specialized by training to specifically create strands around oneself to made an “armor” out of the tape. This would sacrifice practicing other potential uses of the ability, such as using it as a whip to attack enemies, but increases its potential greatly in a specific context, in this case being self defense. Abilities are not often on “similar” levels of power. However, usually there is a weakness of an Ability that can be exploited. Because of this, many who use their Abilities will hide and obscure their true powers and weaknesses from their opponents. Most, however, will more often use their Abilities in their day to day lives. The powers of an Ability are usually suited to the specific desires of their user. For example, it is more likely for a caring person who seeks to aid others to develop a healing Ability than an assassin who seeks out targets to eliminate. In certain cases, Abilities can be developed to the point of becoming absurdly powerful. This state is usually very rare and requires years of practice and development. Even still, these super-power Abilities will usually retain some sort of weakness. Creating An Ability An ability should be directly tied to the personality of its user. Either the Ability can be designed based on the experiences and personality of the character it is to be possessed by, or a character can be created out of a pre-designed Ability. Abilities can change across a single narrative, but for a static character an Ability should be of a reasonable level of power compared to others, and retain some sort of “weakness.” Abilities can be named after anything, be it a reference to a song or book or a single concept. Abilities should be creative; while it is not necessary to create ridiculously complicated Abilities, it is more interesting when more strategy must be involved to reach the Ability’s full potential in a scenario, especially in the case of physical battle and conflicts.